A Devil's Playground Part Two: A Look at Sandbox Games in Other Genres

Most, if not all, sandbox games are action/adventure games. Grand Theft Auto, Mafia II, Mercenaries, The Saboteur, almost every recent Spider-Man game, even First Person games like The Darkness have elements of sandbox play, though very limited. But, where else could sandbox games work? To think of the potential future, let's go back to the past.

Ever think of an RPG as a sandbox game? Certain places are closed off until you get to a certain level, and by the time you're at the end, you can go anywhere. What about Metroid, where at anytime, you can go back to the start of the game, and complete missions in a different order each time? The Mega Man series, fighting bosses in any order? Sandbox games date back to before I was born (back in the '80's), and a lot of gamers may not realize it today, or take it for granted. Think of the evolution behind it; we went from very basic choices of which level to start playing, or which side quests to take to games that simulate "real" choices of how and when to take missions if you take it at all. We see it in RPG's still, action games, and even in fighting games to an extent with the Konquest mode in the Mortal Kombat series. But what other genres could you do a sandbox game in?

What about horror? Think it wouldn't work? What about the first Silent Hill game? Did you go to the hotel to save Dr. Kaufman? On the second play through, did you use the jewel to get the UFO ending? All the Silent Hill games have some form of Sandbox style to them, but aren't quite the full free roaming style that most people would attribute sandbox games to. A lot of the people I've talked to said that this would be impossible because then you'd lose that claustrophobic feel that horror gives you, or the feeling of isolation. I argue that this isn't purely true.

Silent Hill takes place in an entire city, but closes a lot of it off by way of crumbling roads and blocks. It gives you a series of objectives that are seemingly streamlined by the roads being blocked. It relies on the claustrophobia to add to the atmosphere of the game. What would happen if you opened up those roads, and made the city bigger? What would happen if the city had people in it? What would happen if you could explore both versions, "real" and "other," of the city of your own volition? How could you possibly play off of this?

Have you ever been lost in an unfamiliar place? Scary, isn't it? How hard would it be to play off of that? Even with a map, being lost in an unknown place is terrifying. Imagine if that place suddenly shifted if you made a wrong turn, or if you completed an objective, but the city surrounding you goes dark for know reason? Or if you bump into the wrong person? You don't know where you are, and it can only get worse with every step you take in this city, that for some reason will not let you escape until you over come your fear, illness, lie, or secret. You're isolated, but not alone.

This was my concept for I Am Nothing, a game idea I had that was free roaming survival horror. Not just the feeling of being lost, but the feeling of being an outcast. The feeling of anxiety. The feeling of being alone in a world that seems like its out to get you, even if it isn't completely. Horror doesn't have to just be about isolation, it can be about the exact opposite, too. It can be about the overwhelming odds against you, or the pressure that's building up by being the odd person out.

Next time, I'll be talking about how Free roaming games can improve and what all of them have done wrong.